The irids continue their condemnation of Andarna and the humans. The tallest male irid calls Andarna a weaponized horror and tells Violet that Andarna is merely what Violet made her. When Andarna desperately asks if the irids will return with them to help fire the Aretian wardstone and achieve peace, the irids flatly refuse, declaring they see the humans as seeking victory rather than peace. The tallest male suggests that perhaps the venin should devour the land entirely, forcing the corrupted ones to either die off or confront what they've become and evolve.

Andarna presses the irids about a cure for dark wielders. The female irid delivers a devastating revelation: there is no cure. She explains that when dark wielders steal the earth's magic, their soul is not held in trade—it is killed piece by piece, and death has no cure. Violet is staggered by this news. Meanwhile, Xaden and Garrick arrive on Sgaeyl and Chradh, and Violet signs to them to catch them up on the conversation, with Ridoc bluntly summarizing the irids' refusal and the soul-death revelation.

Andarna makes a final attempt, asking if her ability to burn dark wielders makes irids the key to defeating the venin, but the tallest male declares the situation hopeless and begins to leave. The irid named Leothan lingers, questioning Violet about whether she knew Andarna was a juvenile when they bonded. Violet explains the circumstances—that hatchlings were hidden in the Vale and all appear as golden feathertails until adolescence. Xaden and Garrick receive telepathic communication from the irids, which causes them visible pain.

When Leothan startles upon seeing Xaden, the female irid recoils, calling Xaden an "abomination"—his irises have turned bright red, revealing his venin corruption. The female declares his kind beyond redemption, glares at Sgaeyl, and disappears. Leothan studies Xaden a moment longer before also fading away. Andarna, devastated by the irids' rejection—they declared her irid in scale and name only and barred her from their isle—retreats into the jungle in anguish, her scales shifting to gold. Tairn follows to comfort her.

In the aftermath, Xaden slams his mental shields shut, cutting Violet off. Ridoc, having witnessed Xaden's red eyes, confronts Violet directly, revealing he now understands why she has been so desperate to find a cure. He demands that Violet tell him the full truth about Xaden's condition, setting up a critical reckoning.